Golden Apples
by Rosalite
Summary: Sequel to Falling Apples. After all of Ever After finds out Apple & Sparrow have a secret baby together, everything turns for the worse. Snow'll go to any lengths to keep Apple's image snow-white, Duchess's just as cunning & will do ANYTHING to steal Apple's story ,& Apple herself is an emotional wreck from all the drama. (Full summary inside)
1. The Worse is Yet to Come

_Full Summary:_

 _After all of Ever After finds out Apple and Sparrow have a secret baby together, everything turns for the worse. Snow'll go to any lengths to keep Apple's image snow-white, Duchess's just as cunning & will do ANYTHING to steal Apple's story once and for all, the brothers Apple never knew she had become a part of the picture, & Apple herself is an emotional wreck from all the drama, judgment, & stress from juggling her responsibilities as a future queen, perfect student, & young mother. To make things even more complicated, the Hood and White families are going at each other's throats over the situation, leaving Apple, her boyfriend Sparrow, and their daughter Snowflake right in the middle of their families' feud. Will everyone live Happily Ever After in The End, or will everything go up in flames?_

 **A/n: And so Apple and I return, after 7 months. And let me just say, I am disappointed in Mattel. 2017 is nearly up and STILL no new episodes. When 2017 first hit, I thought Mattel was still coming out of holiday-mode and was taking their time with webisodes. But then a month turned into two months. Two months became four mouths. Four months became seven months. And seven months will probably turn into a year. And a year will probably turn into two years. Ever After High is dead; that's why I had to return with a sequel. So the fan fiction community wouldn't die too. EAH decided to go the cheap route with their dolls, they're paying for it now. And then they'll probably try to redeem themselves by coming out with some half-assed show in an attempt to replace EAH, which had the potential to become more popular than Monster High. EAH actually had a GOOD plot—one of the best I've witnessed in cartoons for kids. It had true potential but alas, Mattel threw it away. What can we do? Nothing. All we can do is continue to do whatever we** _ **can**_ **do to at least keep the fandom alive. That's why I had to go ahead and publish the sequel, two months in advance.**

 **Well, at least we'll be getting that EAH/MC crossover book that comes out on my birthday, October 17** **th** **. I doubt it'll be as good as the movie, which was supposed to air a while back. The only reason I'm not feeling all that excited because the book features the Monster High reboot, which was a mistake in itself. If they wanted to reboot the series, they should've used the ideas from the Monster High books by Lisi Harrison. As proven, Mattel just doesn't know what the hell they're doing. They cash out on good ideas but then out of the blue they wanna alter the franchise and then everything turns for the worse.**

 **Ugh, enough about that. Like I said, there's nothing we can do but keep the fandom alive through our fan fictions. Well, here's mine. Hope you guys enjoy the sequel. I can't wait to read the reviews. I hope I'll get to reconnect with my old viewers from last year. And if not, I'm just as excited to hear from new reviewers as well. Enjoy~**

* * *

Apple White was on the verge of a category-four panic attack.

She nervously paced around the bedroom of Sparrow Hood, her first official boyfriend of just a few minutes. Though she'd been at peace just a few minutes ago when the two of them shared a kiss under the moon, she was freaking out all over again. How could she _not_? With every minute, more and more Hoods gathered downstairs in the living room of Sparrow's family's massive and secluded log cabin, all of them beyond-eager to know the truth.

 _The truth._ In just a matter of a few hours, it had spread all throughout the fairytale world, Ever After, like a wildfire. Faster, even. Just a few hours ago, Apple's secret had only been known by her closest friends, the ones she trusted with her life. And now, that very same secret was headlined on news channels all over the world— _and_ her mother's, Snow White's, false testimony in response.

On Sparrow's bed, precious Daphne Ann, nicknamed Snowflake, was lying on her back, her chest rising and falling in rhythm to her soft, even breaths of sleep. At least _someone_ was at peace. Apple slid her feet out of her flats and lightly lay across the bed, watching her beautiful daughter rest. She already had a head full of thin carrot-red hair, her father's trademark and her skin was snow-white just like her mother's and her grandmother's. When she was awake, her blue-green eyes brimmed with beauty, innocence and curiosity, and Apple's heart seemed to melt whenever she looked into them. Whenever Apple held her daughter or even thought of her, all kinds of emotions flooded through her. This was her baby, the source of her love and her pain.

It all started last year during Legacy Year at Ever After High, the high school where the children of the famous fairytale legends went to learn to become like their parents and relive their stories for the sake of their fairytale's existence. Back then, Apple had been more than eager to start Legacy Year, the year when all the tenth grade stories would pledge to become just like their parents and follow their fairytale footsteps during Legacy Day. Being the daughter of the famous Snow White, Apple had been groomed for her story her whole life. Ever since birth she knew she'd inherit the _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_ tale and one day be kicked out of the house and into the woods by her wicked stepmother, be taken in by the seven dwarves, bite into the poison apple, fall into a coma, receive true love's kiss from her prince, marry him, become the flawless ever after, et cetera, et cetera. And for the most part, Apple had been anxious to take on that role as the next Snow White, as the next Fairest of Them All. After all, she'd been groomed for that destiny ever since birth. All throughout her life she'd studied hard to keep her future kingdom happy, to be the perfect woman everyone wanted her to be. Sure, she might've had blond hair instead of black, but Apple did everything in her power to ensure she'd become just like her mother.

Legacy Year was supposed to be _her_ year. But then, Raven Queen, the girl who was destined to be Apple's storybook enemy and the next Evil Queen, decided to turn the tables and NOT sign the Storybook of Legends at Legacy Day. She chose NOT to follow in her mom's evil footsteps, putting Apple in sheer panic. Without Raven, she couldn't become Snow White. Without Raven, she couldn't have the happily ever after she'd been promised. Or so she _thought._ From then on, the school split into two sides; the Royals, who wanted to honor tradition and relive their parents' stories and then the Rebels, the ones who wanted to write their own stories and not live in their parents' shadows. Apple, who'd been a strong believer of tradition, freaked out. She thought if everyone rebelled from their stories, their world would disappear as the headmaster had warned. That led to a lot of fighting between Royals and Rebels.

Not long after, Apple had decided to pull herself together and go to her best friend's, Briar Beauty's, party. There, thanks to a prank pulled none other than Kitty Cheshire, the school's prankster, Apple got drunk and….sleep with Sparrow Hood, the bad-boy rebel at school, also the son of the great Robin Hood. Apple blacked out and didn't remember her and Sparrow's hookup until a few weeks later when she found out she was _pregnant._ At first, she got super scared; she didn't even remember having sex. But apparently, Sparrow had and confirmed they'd "done it." That led to so much drama. Apple had been terrified out of her skin. She was the daughter of a queen, he the son of a commoner. Such a relationship was against the rules and Apple knew they'd be trouble if— _when_ people found out. Her mother had been furious and pulled Apple out of Ever After High until she had the baby.

At that point, Apple had still been denying her feelings for Sparrow and decided that she'd try to hide Snowflake's existence, out of shame and fear for her child. A few of her close friends had found out and Apple thought she was safe. That was, until Duchess Swan, the bitter daughter of the Swan Queen meddled into Apple's affairs and discovered the mirror-shattering truth. She blackmailed Apple for the longest until she had the last straw when Apple had a poor error in judgment and released the Evil Queen from her prison inside a mirror. Duchess hadn't been mad at Apple for releasing Ever After's greatest evil, but for gaining so much fame and popularity after she helped Raven recapture her mother inside the mirror prison. She felt nothing but hatred for Apple even though it'd been confirmed that Daring Charming, Duchess's crush, was NOT Apple's true love. Thus, she decided to leak Apple's secret, which had just happened a mere few hours ago.

Not wanting to face the wrath of her mother for the image-tainting leak, Apple had decided to come over to Sparrow's place for the weekend to get herself together. But now Apple was starting to think THAT was a mistake, especially since this weekend happened to be the same weekend of the Hood clan's family reunion. And it DIDN'T help that Snow White had went live on the news just an hour ago and accused Sparrow of raping Apple. Apple knew for a fact the Hoods would hate her for her mother's lies. Even if Snow had done what she did, Apple still would've been too ashamed to face the Hoods.

Her plan was to hide up in Sparrow's room until they all left, but she knew that was all kinds of impossible. The Hood clan was HUGE. And even though Sparrow's place was big enough to fit everyone, Apple knew a few of them were bound to come into Sparrow's room eventually. Although Sparrow had promised to keep them out and Apple had locked the room door, she'd still have to leave the room for bathroom breaks and stuff. Eventually, she'd have to face the entire Hood family— _and_ the lie her mother had told about one of them.

Apple rolled over onto her back, staring up at the log ceiling. Her heart was thumping so hard in her chest. She wanted to call her mother right now and just _scream._ Snow White lied and she _knew_ it. Though everyone else thought the Fairest in the Land was perfect from the head down, she was actually overly ambitious, quite cold-hearted, and would do ANYTHING to ensure the Whites' perfect image stayed that way, even if it meant destroying Sparrow's and his family's reputation. And the worse part? Apple knew this was just the beginning. Snow was going to do everything and anything she could to cover up Apple's mistake, just like she had to cover up her own. No matter how much everyone insisted otherwise, Apple wasn't perfect—and neither was Snow. Turned out Snow was having an affair when she was younger, which resulted in Apple's brothers, the ones she didn't even know she had until recently. It was like they always said; the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Apple tried to push her mother out of her head. She wasn't stupid; she'd have to face her eventually but for now, she just had to figure out how she was going to survive the weekend here at Sparrow's. She didn't have to worry about her mother tracking her down; Apple had left her phone back at her grandmother's which meant Snow had no idea where her daughter was. _Yet._

Only Sparrow and his mom, Maid Marian, and a few of his cousins knew Apple was hiding up here, but Apple had no idea how long the secret would stay between them. At this point, _everyone_ knew the news about Apple's and Sparrow's secret child, but what Apple didn't know was how the Hoods would take the news. But she could only imagine how furious they were going to be. Snow White's claim of sexual assault could RUIN Sparrow, the heir to _Robin Hood_ and the young man who'd bring honor to the whole clan. Snow White was trying to keep Apple's and the Whites' image pure and snow-white—and she didn't care if she had to blacken the Hoods' name to do so.

Apple had to fight back the tears that were starting to well in her eyes. This was an epic fairytale fail for sure. A complete _disaster._ The princess had thought things were bad back when she first found out she was pregnant, but now the situation was about to turn for the worse. No, the _real_ nightmare was about to begin.

Apple held her breath when she heard soft footsteps padding down the hallway outside. She remained absolutely still until the footsteps and muffled voices completely disappeared down the corridor. She got queasy every time she heard noises on the other side of the door; she was _that_ nervous.

Once her heart slowed back down, Apple sat up and went over to Sparrow's desk in the corner. She started up his desktop. It wasn't hard to figure out his password. After Apple typed in _handsome,_ the computer opened up to Sparrow's homepage. She launched a mirrornet browser and started typing her name into the search engine. She didn't even type the first three letters of her name before the latest alerts and news about her were taking over the screen. Apple gulped. It was just as she feared. Though the news had just come out this afternoon, the story was already plaguing the mirrornet. Apple's face flushed as she thought about her own relatives and peers at school reading the same story. Judging her, shaming her. Who knew what everyone would say when she went back to Ever After High on Monday.

The reality of going back to school and facing everyone made Apple want to cry. Just last week, before the whole Evil Queen fiasco, nearly every student at EAH had looked up to her like a future queen. Now, they were probably going to look down on her like a glorified slut. The princess allowed a few tears to escape her eyes she dared to click on the link leading to _Just Right_ , the news/gossip mirrorcast show her friend Blondie Lockes, daughter of Goldilocks, ran. Since Duchess had leaked the Apple's secret to Blondie first, _Just Right_ had been the first to report the story, earning the mirrorcast _loads_ of popularity. In fact, Blondie's newest upload from just this afternoon already had a few million likes already.

Apple gulped, clicking the video and turning the volume up just enough for her to hear but low enough not to attract the attention of anyone outside the room. Blondie Lockes perky face filled the screen, her blond mane falling around her face. "Good afternoon, fellow fairytales!" she exclaimed in an overly excited/bubbly voice. "Welcome to a special episode of _Just Right!_ Today, I've gotten my hands on the scoop of the year! You won't _believe_ what I found out about Apple White, the famous daughter of the beloved Snow White. It's a known fact Apple's dream is to live up to her mother's fairest reputation, but the photo I'm about to show you tells a different tale!"

Apple's heart raced as she watched the photo of her, Maid Marian, Sparrow, and Snowflake appear onscreen. That had been the day they'd all met up in Sparrow's and the Merry Men's shack so Sparrow could introduce his mom to Apple and their daughter. Little had they known that Duchess followed them _and_ snapped a picture. If a picture said a thousand words, this one said ten thousand. With all of them gathered together, the truth was obvious. One look at Snowflake and you could easily see she resembled _all_ of them. It wouldn't even take ten seconds to connect the dots.

Apple didn't even dare scroll down to the comments—she already knew they were poisonous. Instead, she clicked on a video from the news network, MNN, in her recommended list. It was only a few minutes old and of Snow White's live interview on the Apple-Sparrow situation. Having not seen the whole thing, Apple clicked on the video and prepared herself for the wave of lies her mother was about to tell.

Snow White's beautiful; face filled the screen. "Good afternoon, Ever After," she began, "I understand—many of you have questions about the latest rumors pertaining to my daughter and her…friend Sparrow Hood. "And I will confirm these rumors—the two of them do have a baby together. _But_ , it isn't what you all think. My daughter did not willingly acquaint herself with the young man. During her depression after the disastrous Legacy Day, the young man deviously intoxicated her and took advantage of my poor daughter. And we all know what—or who the result was. Though she was completely innocent and didn't wish such a fate upon her, my dutiful daughter decided to keep the child and look after it, even after this Sparrow Hood fellow abandoned them."

And it was at that moment Apple felt something she thought she'd NEVER feel toward her mother— _hate._ Her mother was telling nothing but LIES. Sure, Sparrow knew what he and Apple did together, but he didn't FORCE it on her. They both had been drunk. It was Apple's mistake just as much as his. But the _public_ didn't know that, and Snow was using that to her advantage. She was twisting the story to make Sparrow look like the bad guy and Apple the poor, helpless angel everyone thought she was.

"Although the incident was not her fault, my daughter Apple blames herself for what happened," continued Queen Snow, "although this Sparrow fellow _forced_ himself onto my poor daughter—" Snow shed a tear for effect. Apple grimaced. "—Apple took full responsibility for everything, including the child that resulted as an aftermath. Apple wouldn't even consider getting rid of the child—being the conscientious daughter I raised her to be, Apple felt that the baby deserved to live regardless of under what circumstances it came to be and decided to keep and raise it as her own. I am more than proud of her for making such a responsible choice _and_ enduring the pain that came along with it. These past few months have not been easy for her. I personally wanted to bring Mr. Hood to justice for bringing so much conflict and fear on my daughter, but Apple refused to hear it. She wanted to stay in the dark about the whole situation for the sake of the Hood legacy. If I can recall, Sparrow Hood is destined to become the next Robin Hood and Apple knew the truth would taint his family's fairytale reputation and bring dishonor to the whole Robin Hood tale. Thus, she chose to stay in the dark about the whole thing. But in order to do that, she had to tell a few… _lies._ "

Apple watched the rest of the interview in disgust as her mother proceeded to tell the story about the _real_ reason Apple left Ever After High least year and how much turmoil and insecurity her condition had brought her and how that same mayhem had led her to have a bad taste in judgment and release the Evil Queen. Honestly, Apple stopped listening after that. She was too disturbed to; her mother told one fib after another, making Sparrow look more and more like a monster. Didn't Snow realize what she was doing? She was digging a _hole_ , one in which Sparrow was sinking deeper and deeper into. The Fairies of Them All was doing nothing but damning the Hood. She was ruining his name all for the sake of Apple's. And honestly, deep down, Apple felt like this was HER fault. If she just would've stayed at her grandmother's place, Snow would've found her and maybe Apple could've convinced her not to go live and preach ill of her boyfriend.

Apple clicked off the video, unable to bear it any longer. Instead, she logged into her IM account and started a private room.

 **AppleBlossoms19 has added Neon_Nevermore89 and PillowyRoses107 to the conversation**

 **AppleBlossoms19: Are any of you there?**

 **AppleBlossoms19: I rlly need someone 2 talk 2 right now**

Apple thought she'd have to wait at least ten minutes for a reply, but she was surprised when Briar Beauty forwarded her a message thirty _seconds_ later. She really shouldn't have; Briar had the IM'er downloaded to her phone so she received a notification every time someone sent her a message. Besides, being the biggest socialite at Ever After High, Briar _never_ missed a text, email, voice mail, or _any_ form of communication sent via Mirrorphone.

 **PillowyRoses107: APPLE! R U OKAY? WHERE R U? WHY AREN'T U ANSWERING MY CALLS?**

A wave of guilt washed over Apple. After the leak on Blondie's channel, Apple had rushed away from school in a hurry without telling any of her friends where she was going. And since her Mirrorphone was back at her grandmother's, she hadn't been able to stay in touch with them over the past few hours. She could only imagine how panic-stricken her closest friends were. And out of everyone, it was probably Briar who was the most frantic with worry. The two had been best friends forever after since nursery rhyme school. They knew everything there was to know about each other (for the most part) and trusted one another with their secrets and lives. Although being her closest friend, Apple hadn't told Briar about Snowflake at first. Fearful that Briar would kick her to the curb for having such a scandalous secret, the princess had purposely chosen to keep her BFFA out of the loop. But the daughter of Sleeping Beauty actually turned out to be very supportive, much to Apple's relief.

 **AppleBlossoms19: Briar! Hi! Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me; I'm someplace safe. And sorry, I don't have my phone on me.**

 **PillowyRoses107: I'm just glad u r ok. OMG, the news is EVERYWHERE. Every1's talking about u! My phone's going off like crazy!**

 **PillowyRoses107: BTW, saw your mom on MNN. Can't believe she lied like tht! What r u going 2 do?**

 **AppleBlossoms19: I'm sorry for all the trouble I'm probably causing you. And IDK! This is an epic fairy-fail. Mom is destroying Sparrow's rep & I don't think I can do anything about it. It'll be her word over mine.**

Discussing the situation with someone else made Apple feel even worse. It made her realize just how screwed-up this was.

 **PillowyRoses107: IK! I heard that Sparrow is probably gonna get kicked out of EAH!**

Oh my godmother. A sob welled in Apple's throat. Sparrow was _already_ beginning to suffer for Snow White's fabrication. He couldn't afford to get kicked out of school. What would happen to the Robin Hodo tale? More importantly, what would happen to _Sparrow?_ Her eyes prickling with tears, Apple was about to IM Briar back but froze when she heard soft thumps outside of the door. There were a few muffled voices. The doorknob rattled, like someone was trying to turn it and open the door. More voices.

Someone was trying to come in! Apple's body locked up with fear and her throat tightened with panic. She knew she'd eventually be found out, but she wasn't expecting it to happen so early! She still had the rest of the weekend to get through! She'd figured her presence would _at least_ remain a secret until tomorrow, Saturday. Apple's first thought was to grab Snowflake and hide in the closet, but that would be stupid. Instead, she sat stiff as a statue in her chair, her fast heartbeat hammering in her ears as she waited for whatever was about to happen next. If someone did come in, what was she going to say? How would she explain this? Just as she was racking her mind for possible excuses, the footsteps and voices drifted down the hall, _away_ from Sparrow's room.

However, she didn't move a muscle. She watched the door and kept her ears peeled for a few more moments, trying to determine whether or not that person was going to return. When she didn't hear anything else, she calmed down a little and turned back to the mirror screen. While she'd been in panic mode, she received three new IMs from Briar.

 **PillowyRoses107: Apple? R u there?**

 **PillowyRoses107: Apple, r u okay?**

 **PillowyRoses107: SAY SOMETHING BEFORE I FLIP MY CROWN**

 **AppleBlossoms19: Sorry about that. I got distracted by something else. But Briar, what am I going 2 do? Sparrow can't get kicked out of school!**

 **PillowyRoses107: Well, he CAN and probably IS. If the headmaster doesn't get rid of him, your mom will definitely have something to say about it. I've been trying to tell everyone Sparrow is innocent, but no one is listening 2 me. T**

 **AppleBlossoms19: Where r u now?**

 **PillowyRoses107: Dorm room. I'm tired & kinda lying low for now. Ever since Blondie's mirrorcast, everyone's been trying to get answers out of me about you and this drama. Ugh, Blondie. I'm so not talking 2 her ever again. She completely betrayed u. I thought she was better than that. **

Apple's heart fell. Blondie. Part of Apple was mad at her—they'd been BFFAs for a long time now but she aired Apple's biggest secret on her mirrorcast without a second thought. She chose her mirrorcast's popularity over her friendship with Apple. And another part of Apple didn't blame Blondie at all. It'd been the blond's dream to make it big since forever after. One of her biggest goals had been to make _Just Right_ one of the most popular shows in all of Ever After. And thanks to Duchess's leak, it looked like her dream was about to become a reality. At least _someone_ was benefitting from this. Besides, if Blondie hadn't reported it, someone else just would've. It'd be a lose-lose for Apple anyway.

 **AppleBlossoms19: I'm so sorry. Maybe I should've stayed.**

 **PillowyRoses107: R u crazy? That'd be a TERRIBLE idea! U've got enough on ur plate as it is. U already have to deal with your mom & try 2 figure all of this out w/ Sparrow. The LAST thing u need is to be here school. U'd be completely overwhelmed. The press is basically camping out on the front lawn; Grimm called the police and they STILL won't leave. And if some DID u can't tell bcuz more keep coming. They're doing the most too; interviewing students, filming the school, sneaking in thru back entrances. The place is CRAWLING w/ them. Ashlynn says they're only looking 4 u & it's ANNOYING. Like, fr. Give the girl some privacy!**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: APPLE! HEY! SRRY I MISSED UR MSG. BRIAR JUST TEXTED ME AND TOLD ME TO CHECK MY INBOX.**

Apple cracked a small smile. She could always count on her roomie, Raven Queen, to lighten the mood, even if it was just for a second or two. It was ironic, really. Around this time last year, Apple was convinced she and Raven were destined to be enemies, as their mothers the Evil Queen and Snow White had been. After Legacy Day and Raven declared to the world that she wasn't going to be the next Evil Queen, Apple had basically panicked. She overlooked the fact that Raven was genuinely a sweetheart and tried to _push_ Raven to hate her, to rival her. That was wrong of her but at the time, Apple had been too worried about her own fate to care the person she was trying to make Raven become was not actually Raven at all. She'd wanted Raven to be hateful, evil, destructive, and all the qualities that would make the perfect queen of evil. But then Apple found out she was pregnant and Apple's outlook on everything slowly begun to change. Regardless of all Apple had put Raven through, the daughter of the Evil Queen had made her decision to stick by Apple no matter what. Whenever Apple needed to cry, Raven's was the shoulder she wept on. Whenever she needed someone to talk to, Raven was the one who listened. Apple slowly started to see how good of a person Raven really was and how much she actually appreciated her true character. Needless to say, Raven and her emotional support was what helped Apple overcome her pain and struggles. Raven was the one who'd changed Apple's life.

 **AppleBlossoms19: Raven! Hi, how r u?**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: ME? How r YOU? OMG, this place is CRAZY! Everyone's talking and gossiping about u & Sparrow. I saw ur mother on the news. WTH is wrong with her? Thx 2 her, I heard Sparrow's even gonna get kicked out of school!**

 **AppleBlossoms19: IK, IK! It's a royal mess and idk how 2 fix it!**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: U have 2 clear Sparrow's name.**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: Somehow.**

 **AppleBlossoms89: This is my MOM, Raven! I can't undo ANYTHING she does. Now that she made me out 2 be the ashamed victim, no 1 will believe me when I say Sparrow's innocent.**

 **PillowyRoses107: Can't Sparrow's parents do something?**

 **AppleBlossoms19: Who's rlly going to believe what everyone assumes 2 be a family of hillbillies over the queen of the land?**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: No one believes the Hoods r hillbillies. Besides Daring.**

Apple sighed. Daring. That was _another_ problem she had to deal with. For 99.99% of her life, Apple had been sure Prince Daring Charming was her true love, the one who was supposed to awake her from her poisoned sleep. Ever she was old enough to know about boys, she'd been told Daring was _her_ prince, _her_ true love, the one she'd be with forever after. Thus, both of them grew up convinced they were destined to get married after their stories. They were supposed to be the It Couple. But then just _yesterday_ , they and the rest of Ever After had learned that they were NOT meant to be together forever after. Oddly, Apple wasn't as disappointed as she thought she'd be, but she had no idea how Daring felt about this. They hadn't really talked since the whole Evil Queen thing. Apple knew for a fact things were going to be awkward between them, especially after this whole situation with Sparrow. But honestly, Daring was the last of Apple's worries.

 **PillowyRoses107: And Duchess. Ugh,** **I can't STAND her. SHE'S the reason all of this is even happening 2 the both of u. She needs 2 go DOWN.**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: I agree. I'm not usually for revenge & all of that evil stuff, but she has to PAY 4 what she did. She shouldn't get away w/ this. She went WAYY too far w/ this jealousy thing. Idek why she resorted to this. She should be HAPPY u & Daring aren't each other's true love. She can have him all 2 herself now.**

 **AppleBlossoms19: Enough about Duchess! We'll deal w/ her later. RN, I have bigger things 2 worry about. Like what 2 do about my mom. How to even GO BACK to my mom.**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: Wait. U aren't w/ her?**

 **AppleBlossoms19: No. Not my grandmother's either. Tho, I think it was a HUGE mistake not staying the castle w/ Mom. I could've stopped her from going live and ruining Sparrow's name.**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: Nope.**

 **PillowyRoses107: Probably not.**

Yeesh. Even Apple's friends knew once Snow was set on something, nothing was going to change her mind.

 **AppleBlossoms19: What am I going 2 do when I get back to school? What am I going 2 tell everyone? What r they going to think of me?**

 **PillowyRoses107: For the most part, no 1's shaming u. They're all bad-mouthing Sparrow & trying 2 get away from the press.**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: They're like ROACHES. U can't even step out of the dormitory b4 they're shoving a microphone u. They're even in the Village! I'm just chilling in my room until they start to thin out. 1 of the kids in our class ratted 2 the reporters & now they know you & I r roommates. I can't go anywhere w/o them throwing themselves at me like excited puppies.**

 **PillowyRoses107: SAME! Every1 already knew me & Apple were roomies, so when they couldn't find Apple, they tried getting to me. Some1 also ran their mouth & gave the reporters my number & now my phone's RLLY going off nonstop. **

**Neon_Nevermore89: It's gotta be Duchess. Who else? She's always DYING for attention, & now she's got it. The reporters will listen to any1 who'll talk & who's a bigger snitch the Swan Princess herself?**

 **PillowyRoses107: IK she's got a crappy story & all, but this is just too much. All she has to do is rewrite her destiny instead of trying to ruin ur life. Ugh, I h8 her sometimes. She knows what she's doing & it's sick. I'm going to make her pay for the pain she's causing u. It's not cool.**

 **AppleBlossoms19: It's ok, rlly. This was going 2 come out sooner or later.**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: Yeah but YOU should've been the one to make that decision, NOT Duchess. It's not her problem, so she doesn't have the right to just leak your** _ **private**_ **secret. That's a pretty low move. Usually, Duchess doesn't bother me but it rlly unnerves me when she goes as far as to HURT some1 because of her own insecurities. That's evil and I HATE evil.**

 **PillowyRoses107: The worst part is that she thinks she's won. I had to block her on all my social media pages because she keeps trying 2 provoke me by bringing up Apple.**

 **Neon_Nevermore89: Which is actually pretty stupid since every1 is STILL giving Apple attention. They think she's a victim, so ppl have been spamming all of her social medias w/ good, positive, encouraging comments.**

Apple hadn't bothered check any of her profiles. She knew her mom could track her posts and logins. That's why she had to resort to her instant massager since Snow didn't know about it.

 **PillowyRoses107: Maybe she's got something planned.**

 **AppleBlossoms19: Or maybe she knows once the actual truth gets out, I'll be RUINED. It's like what they say: "Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it." Duchess KNOWS my mom lied. Sure, ppl might not believe her, but this is DUCHESS. She might give the reporters a reason to dig deeper & sniff out my mom's deception. Or maybe she'll expose me herself. Then she can make me look like a liar & take my popularity & maybe even my STORY. That's what she RLLY wants.**

 **PillowyRoses107: That's why she has to go down NOW. U had nothing 2 do w/ what ur mom did & I'm not going 2 sit around & let u take Duchess's crap. **

**Neon_Nevermore89: Now that I think about it, this is a problem. If ANYONE—not just D—discovers Mrs. White lied, Apple could be the 1 to take the fall.**

Apple's heart sunk. That WAS a problem. She didn't want to have to suffer for her mom's lie either. That could also harm Snowflake, who didn't have ANYTHING to do with this besides being born, which was not her fault. Ugh, that made everything so much complicated. If everyone believed this lie, all hope for Sparrow's future would be erased. But everyone knew the truth, Apple and their baby would get in trouble. That and they'd be tangled in A LOT of legal problems for false accusation. Apple was tired just thinking about it.

Just as Apple was about to type a reply, someone knocked on Sparrow's room door, making her tense up again. "Apple? It's Marian," called a soft voice. Apple calmed down a little. It was just Sparrow's mom.

 **AppleBlossoms19: BRB**

After sending that quick IM, she leapt up and hurried over to the door. She opened the door to see Sparrow's red-headed mother standing in the hallway, a mixture of worry and alarm painting her face. "Mrs. Hood? What's wrong?" squeaked Apple. Now that the door was open, she could hear all the loud voices coming from downstairs. The Hood family reunion was now in full effect. But something was wrong. Their voices sounded angry and they were all talking and shouting at once.

Maid Marin frowned. "Apple, dear. Get the baby and your things."

Something inside Apple cracked. Was Mrs. Hood kicking her out? Was the situation _that_ bad? "Why?" she asked, her voice higher than she intended. "Did I do something wrong?"

Maid Marin gave a weak smile, pity clouding her eyes. "No, dear. It's your mother. She's here."


	2. The Worse is Yet to Come, Part 2

" _What?"_

Apple stood frozen in the middle of the room, her heart hammering in her ears. It was a miracle she got even got a word out; her throat was suddenly super tight and dry, making it hard for her to even breathe.

"She's waiting for you outside. It's best you gather your things and the child and leave before she causes an uproar," advised her boyfriend's redheaded mother, as the voices downstairs got louder. "Well, even more of an uproar."

Apple couldn't believe this. She really should've been surprised, considering this was her mother and all, but still. Her mother didn't waste time. How'd she know where to find Apple? How'd she even get here so fast? She'd been at the White Palace when the interview aired live not long ago. Snow White wasn't a big fan of traveling via wishing wells, and it'd take a good few hours to ride from the castle to Sparrow's place via hybrid coach. Once again, Apple's mother had defied logic—and not to her favor. Nevertheless, Snow White was here and Apple had no choice but to cooperate.

"Y-yes, ma'am," managed Apple, forcing her stiff legs to move. She heart pounded at a hundred miles an hour as she grabbed the travel bag she'd brought along with her and slung it over her shoulder. After scooping up a sleeping Snowflake, Apple was about to follow Maid Marian out of the room when she remembered Raven and Briar. She went over to Sparrow's desktop and sent them a quick IM.

 **AppleBlossoms19: GTG. MY MOM'S HERE.**

She logged off before either of them could respond. She didn't feel like giving them the details, mainly because she was still having trouble processing them herself. Maid Marin led Apple out into the log-walled hallway—which was empty, thankfully— and gestured for the princess to follow her down the stairs. Apple froze up, refusing to proceed any further.

"I-Isn't there another way outside?" she stammered. Truth be told, she was afraid to go downstairs, where Sparrow and the rest of the Hood clan were. She didn't fear Sparrow or a few of his cousins—no, it was the REST of the family she dreaded facing. From the sounds of things, they were in a heated discussion—about _her._ Though it was hard to make out exactly what they were saying since everyone was talking and arguing at once, she could interpret a few words and phrases.

"…outrageous. None of us even _anything_ about Sparrow having a child. Does Robin know about this?" Robin as in _Robin Hood._ The mention of his name gave Apple chills. Based off what Sparrow told her, his father had yet to be informed about his granddaughter since he was still out on business, telling from the rich and giving to the poor. He had no idea Snowflake even existed, completely in the dark like the rest of the Hoods. Well, until now. Apple was more than positive he'd at least heard of the news, wherever in the kingdom he was.

"…have to take action, and quickly. This could ruin our name…"

"…what can we do? It'll be our word against the queen's…"

"…we're in trouble now. How will this affect our businesses and occupations…"

"…Sparrow could get kicked out of school. He'll never inherit his father's fairytale now. We'll be ruined without…"

"…that bitch can say anything and the whole world will believe her. I'll be damned if I let her walk all over us…"

"…might have to settle this legally. Our only hope is…"

 _That_ was why Apple feared the Hoods. Obviously, they were all angry and confused. Who knew what'd they do or say if they discovered Apple White, the so called "victim" of Sparrow was standing right above their heads. And unfortunately, it looked like she was about to find out because somewhere within the mix of voices Apple heard someone say:

"…think she's outside _now._ A fancy hybrid coach is parked outside with the White Royal Guard…"

That REALLY got the other Hoods going.

"…WHAT? The bitch dare show up here, now at all times?"

"…she's demanding me 'release her daughter' at once or she's threatening to storm the house…"

"…she's crazy. We don't have her daughter…"

"…actually, one of the cousins say she was here earlier…"

"WHAT? Where's the little bitch? Where's Marian? I bet she knew about this…"

"…don't go outside! The paparazzi are already arriving…"

"…someone tell the boys to come inside _now_! They can't confront the queen in front of all those cameras. Now's not the time and we can't afford…"

Suddenly, Apple desperately wanted to be anywhere but here. A new wave of fear washed over her, overwhelming her with so much emotion it felt like she was about to collapse. Her mother was _here_ with the family's _special security force._ That was NOT good news. Things could get really ugly if Snow decided to utilize them. And why in the hex were the _paparazzi_ doing here? This was a private residence! Snow must've called gotten someone to tip them off in advance, probably so they could get live footage of the queen being such "a protective mother" while she "heroically saved her poor, innocent daughter from her rapist's and his family's evil clutches." This was nothing but a publicity stunt. And the paparazzi were only the beginning. Everyone wanted in on this trending action and Snow knew it. Every popular news channel was probably on their way right now in hopes of covering the story and broadcasting the drama live. Snow White always went the extra mile, and _then_ some.

Maid Marin's apologetic look said enough. If Apple wanted to escape this place, she had no choice but to descend down into the drama downstairs. Marin offered Apple her hand and the princess didn't think twice about taking it. She needed _some_ kind of support right now—and her boyfriend's mother was the only person she had at the moment. "Just keep your head down," instructed Marian, "don't say a thing to anyone. We don't need to make this worse than it actually is, okay?"

Apple gave a weak nod. She was going to do that anyway. She was far too scared and ashamed to even face anyone.

Her stomach did summersaults as Marian slowly led her down the wooden staircase and into the family room below. She focused on her red flats and the wide-plank wood flooring as they stepped off the last stair and into the family room. She could _feel_ the tension crackling around them immediately and things instantly became a blur. She partially zoned out, obeying Marian's directions as the redhead quickly guided her toward the front of the house. The short minute it took for them to get to the foyer was _torture_. Angry voices erupted all around them as everyone yelled at and tried to talk to Marian at once. They were all confused and outraged at her and Snowflake's presence, demanding an explanation and shooting questions, accusations, and insults at a hundred miles a minute. It was pure chaos, making Apple feel dizzy, exposed, tired, frightened, and a whirlwind of other emotions simultaneously, inducing a severe feeling of nausea. She wanted to barf, but wouldn't dare of doing something like that in front of all of these stirred strangers. Someone touched her backside on the way to the door, sending a cold and discomforting electric current through her body. She had held Marian and Snowflake tighter, refusing to look up. She heard Sparrow's distant voice somewhere behind and every part of her wanted to turn around, find him, and collapse into his arms, but she would've even dare. She wasn't _that_ fact, she was the complete opposite at the moment.

Apple didn't lift her gaze until she and Marian were in the foyer. The mob of Sparrow's heated relatives weren't far behind but Apple immediately forgot about them, realizing an equally-as-troubling situation waited for her on the other side of the front door. Sure, most of the extensive Hood clan was in here flipping their crowns but out there was her mother _and_ the Royal White Guard _and_ dozens of paparazzi. In fact, the front door was already open by the time Marian and Apple made it into the foyer, giving Apple a brief look of what laid in store for her. Though two people stood in the doorway and obstructed Apple's view, she caught a small glimpse of the outside. All she saw were flashes of cameras and the silhouettes behind them. She couldn't see much, but she heard _a lot._ Dozens of voices Apple didn't recognize were buzzing outside, one of them belonging to Snow White herself. Marian ushered the two figures out of the doorway so they could get through. Apple realized right away going outside was a mistake and Marian soon learned this a few seconds later when she took _one step_ onto the front porch. Dozens and dozens of flashbulbs went off in her face a less than a millisecond later. The blinding effect of all those cameras going off at once was so intense, the indirect light bouncing off and flooding past Marian's body into the foyer alone could've given Apple a seizure if she didn't avert her eyes.

Marian leapt back inside, slammed the door, and locked it. Going out of the front door obviously wasn't an option anymore. Marian glanced toward the two ladies who'd been outside before them. "Get everyone inside now," she ordered, "the paparazzi are over the place. Lock all the doors and windows."

With her head still down, Apple shifted uncomfortably, sensing the looks the two were giving her. She was thankful when they finally disappeared deeper into the house, barking orders.

Apple lifted her eyes for a second before casting them back down when she spotted an angry-looking older man marching over with along with a few teenage boys. "Marian, what is the meaning of this?" he demanded. Apple recognized his voice; he was the one who'd called her and her mother bitches. Apple already knew he didn't like her; his aura said it all. Thankfully, he purposely ignored her as if deeming her irrelevant, which Apple didn't mind being right now. The others, on the other hand, weren't so cruel in that manner.

"Dude, it's totally her," marveled one of the boys. "Dude, how did Sparrow—"

"Forget Sparrow. Where the fuck's my phone?" said the other, "I gotta take a picture."

"Not now," said Marian firmly, "all of you need to go help in getting everyone inside and securing the house. Hurry, we don't have much time before the reporters attack the backyard next." She didn't give them time to protest, taking Apple's wrist and leading her away. "You come with me."

Apple's mouth dried. "I-I'm sorry about this," she said lowly as they backtracked into the crowded living room and into the luxurious and bright log kitchen. "This is all my fault."

"No. It's not—Cerise! Just who I need," said Marian as the backdoors leading out onto the swung open and Little Red Riding Hood's daughter walked in. She left the doors open for a few of her cousins who were helping an old lady into the house, allowing Apple to hear the loud commotion that was coming from outside. What had her mother done?

"What's up?" she asked, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. Cerise Hood was Sparrow's distant cousin, one of Raven's BFFs, and the daughter of Little Red Riding Hood _and_ the Big Bad Wolf, though that was a secret. Due to her half-wolf heritage, she had furry brown wolf ears that had to be covered at all times to protect the secret about her true bloodline. That was why she'd grown to become one of Apple's truest closest friends—because they both had secrets they had to protect, including each other's. Well, until today considering Apple's secret was headlining on every news channel/website at the moment. Regardless of that, Cerise was one of the only people Apple genuinely trusted.

"I need you to take Apple to the office and stay with her until we can go outside without the press attacking us," instructed Marian, "while I straighten this mess out—or at least try to."

Cerise nodded. "Got it. C'mon, Apple." She advanced toward an archway beside the large refrigerator and Apple followed. The archway took them into a hallway different from the one Apple Marian had brought her through. Sparrow's place really was big. Half of her classmates wouldn't believe Sparrow resided in such a place. Well, they probably did now since every paparazzi photographer, reporter, and their grandmother had their cameras pointed at the façade of the Hood's massive forest-centric log home.

Cerise opened a pair of doors and ushered Apple into an all logs-and-wood home office with a big stone fireplace and loft library. Apple sat down in the leather armchair but didn't relax, even when Cerise locked the doors behind them. She exhaled deeply, resting Snowflake—who was somehow sleeping through all of this—in her lap.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad are things?" asked Cerise as she side-leaned against the wall, though she already knew the answer.

"Somewhere around _fifteen_. Oh, Cerise! Everything's such a mess!" she cried out, but lowly so she wouldn't wake Snowflake or allow anyone outside to hear. "My mom ruins _everything_ and she doesn't even care! And the worst part is that I don't even know how to fix her mess this time."

"I'm sorry."

"No, _I'm_ sorry. My mother's accusation is going to put you and the other Hoods through hex."

Cerise shrugged. "Probably. It won't really affect me and my mother though; we're only _distantly_ related to most of the people here. The only reason we were probably invited to the reunion in the first place is because of _The Tale_ _Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf_ , yet another fairytale that'd give the clan some popularity. But it's not that going to be that simple for everyone else, especially Sparrow. I heard he's going to get kicked out of Ever After High."

Apple heart's split straight down the middle. She couldn't bear the thought of her Sparrow suffering for _her_ mother's lie. "And that's probably not even the half of it," she said darkly. "I can only imagine what his social media pages look like."

"Trust me, you don't wanna know. I kinda feel sorry for the guy. Sure, he's overly arrogant and annoying, but I wouldn't wish this on him."

That delivered another blow on Apple's heart, shattering like a mirror, into a thousand pieces. This was just so… _screwed up._ She loved Sparrow with everything in her, and it was pure torture knowing what he was about to go through. And there was nothing she could do about it.

So she did the one thing she always did whenever she felt helpless.

She cried.

* * *

Apple snapped back to attention when a knock came at the door about an hour later. She glanced at Cerise, who rose from her seat on the edge of the fireplace and advanced toward the door, shooting the princess a look that told her to stay put.

Cerise undid the lock and cautiously opened one of the doors. Apple's heart leapt to her throat when she heard Marian's voice. If she was here that meant—

"Apple?" said Marian, stepping into the room. "It's time."Apple managed to stand up. This was it. She was about to face her mother and the media she'd brought along with her. "Don't worry. You won't be assaulted by the reporters," promised Marian, "it took a good hour, but the police and your mother's security force managed to block them off. That is, _after_ we managed to convince your mother not to have her guards raid the house."

Apple couldn't help but apologize, something she'd been doing most of the night. "I'm so sorry about this, Mrs. Hood. I-I never meant for this to happen—"

Marian smiled weakly. "I know, dear. There was nothing you or any of us could do. What's done is done and…we'll just have to deal with it one step at a time. Let's just get you home before things get out of hand." She looked so tired, so drained. And it was all because of this unnecessary drama. All of this must've caused Marian and every other Hood in the house a major headache. And unfortunately, there were definitely more waiting for them in the road ahead…

The rest of the house was filled with tension—Apple's sensed it in the air the second she followed Marian into the hallway after giving Cerise a quick goodbye hug. She stuck with the head-and-eyes down routine as Marian led her to the foyer. Someone spat, _"Bitch"_ at her when they passed through the kitchen. Apple pretended not to hear but was actually shaken to her core (apple joke not intended) by the insult. But then she felt ashamed, realizing Sparrow was being called way worse on the Mirrornet and by thousands of other people.

At the front door, Marian surprised Apple by giving her a hug. "I'm sorry about all of this," she said after pulling away. "I know it isn't your fault and I feel terrible knowing how much this is troubling you."

Apple had to fight off the tears that were trying to well in her eyes. Here Marian was apologizing to Apple when it was _her mother's_ fault all of this was even happening. When it was _Apple's_ fault for letting Duchess blackmail her. Here Marian was apologizing when it was _her_ family that was about to suffer, not Apple's.

"You shouldn't keep your mother waiting," advised Marian, undoing the lock on the front door. She opened it and a gentle night breeze drafted in.

Apple nodded. "I'll see you soon," was all she could say, with a heavy heart. She swallowed some of her fear and tightened her grip around Snowflake. _Well, here goes nothing…_

She took a single step over the threshold and onto the front porch. She fought the urge to slack her jaw. She thought inside was a mess, but nothing— _nothing_ compared to what was happening outside in the front yard. The first things Apple spotted were the White Royal Guard coaches parked among the news vans and Sparrow's relatives' vehicles in the big circular driveway. And then there was the media—boy, where they _everywhere._ They'd been blocked off into the grass by the White Royal Guards, but that didn't stop them from screaming and yelling questions at her. The flashes from their cameras lit up the yard, and Apple had to shield her eyes as she walked down the stairs and onto the driveway. When she looked up all she saw was a flash of white, the color of her mother's dress as she rushed toward her. Apple froze, staring blankly.

"There you are, darling!" Snow White cried out in relief, wrapping her arms around her daughter and giving her a squeeze. Apple didn't dare hug her back—after all, this was all just a show, an act for the media and the cameras. "I was so worried. Come now. Let's get you home." Apple refused to say anything as her mother wrapped a "supportive" arm around her and guided her toward her hybrid coach. Instead of allowing a guard to do it, Snow opened the door and helped Apple inside the vehicle herself.

She remained silent as she climbed into the luxury vehicle. A baby seat was already inside, so Apple carefully set and secured Snowflake and melted into the seat next to it. Through the tinted windows she could see her mother being interviewed by one of the news teams. Snow wouldn't stop there; she'd probably answer a few questions for the journalists and shed a tear or two for the cameras. Seeing her mother soak up all the attention made Apple sick to her stomach. To Snow, this was nothing more than a publicity stunt, probably the best one's she had in years. Though she didn't want to, Apple had to give her mother some credit; she was just as smart as she was manipulative. It was Apple's guess Snow had been one of the very first people to see Blondie's mirrorcast. Apple could only imagine how much her mother had flipped her crown at first. But she stopped as something within ambitious mind clicked. Being the cunning queen she was, she came up with a plan to use Blondie's leak to her advantage. She came up with an "emotional" and "heartbreaking" story that would alter everyone's opinions of Apple in her favor and tearfully (and convincingly) fed it to everyone live on the most popular news network in all of Ever After (Apple still didn't know how Snow had managed to pull enough strings and book a live interview with MNN on such short notice, but who wouldn't jump at the chance to broadcast the most popular queen of the land?). She knew she'd break the Mirrornet with such a tale and sure enough, the story of Apple's "rape baby" became the most trending topic online even before Snow's interview was over. But this wouldn't be like all of Snow's other popularity boosts. No, she knew her story about Apple wouldn't just become a trend—it'd become _news._ It wouldn't be like all of those other trends that only lasted for a week tops. It'd be a topic that headlined _everywhere_ for weeks on end, maybe even months. It wouldn't be like all those other trends people forgot about after a few weeks. This was a story the public would _purposely_ choose to never forget, because let's face it. There was nothing juicier and more pressing than a story about a princess who'd been raped and gave birth to a child as a result. That sort of thing was usually unheard of even among lower-class princesses, so imagine the world's reaction when they found it "happened" to the _most popular._ That was the kind of story that'd stir the public for months, and increase the White's popularity by 100%. And Snow knew it.

A sour taste filled Apple's mouth when her mother finally got into the hybrid coach, thankfully taking the seat across from her. "Mom, what have you done?" she asked dryly. She stared at her mother, the Fairest of Them All. Everything about her was beautiful to her slim figure, her plump red lips, and pronounced cheekbones. When people looked at her, all they saw was a natural, kind-hearted beauty. Apple used to view her mother the same way. But this situation with Sparrow really opened her eyes. Now, especially at times like this, the only thing she saw was a cold-hearted opportunist.

"What are you talking about, dear?" Snow didn't sound one bit distressed—in fact, now that didn't have to put on that act for the media, she sounded _happy._ Happy that all eyes were going to be on them starting now. To make matters worse, she was even _already_ getting out her Mirrorpad, probably to see the videos and stories of how she "boldly" and "dutifully" tracked down her daughter to save her from her rapist's vile family's clutches. She was logging on to read how everyone was applauding and praising her.

"Don't act all innocent, Mom. I saw what you said on MNN," said Apple bitterly as the hybrid coach started up the dirt path leading up to the main road with the Royal White Guard coaches following not far behind.

"Mom, you _lied_ to all of Ever After! I thought you were better than that." Her voice cracked toward the last part. Mostly because she truly had. Growing up, she always believed her mother to be the most flawless, perfect woman in the world. In her young eyes, her mother never made a mistake and never did any wrong. _Ever._ But now that Apple was older she could almost _laugh_ about how naïve, foolish, and clueless her younger self had been. Everything she once believed about her mother had been nothing more than a lie Snow purposely fed to her public, even to most of her family. No one had a clue about how she was _really_ like. How could you when The Fairest of Them All was all over the Mirrornet, donating to charities and visiting orphanages? Or when she was sponsoring animal shelters, helping homeless people get back on their feet, and making sick kids' dreams come true? How could _anyone_ think ill of the queen when she was out doing all these miraculous, wonderful things for her adoring kingdom? That was just it; unless you were just a hateful person in general, you _couldn't._ And that was what just what Snow wanted. She masked her own flaws and imperfections by going around and making a show of her "purity" and "good-naturedness." She purposely made herself look like an angel so no one would ever suspect her to be the… _opposite._

Snow set her Mirrorpad down and stared at Apple with her deep blue eyes. "Why all the fuss, Apple Pie? Haven't you been on the Mirrornet lately? You've never been more popular. Ever since my appearance on the news network you've gained over ten thousand likes on all your social media, even your MyChapter page and I thought that site was dead. Your name is trending everywhere. Your ratings are off the charts."

Apple was at a loss for words. She just stared at her mom, her jaw slacked. She couldn't believe her ears. Don't get her wrong; she knew her mother's response would be outrageous, but that just sounded _horrible._ She _was_ horrible. And Apple couldn't take it anymore.

She flipped her crown. "Are you _serious_?" she shrieked, but lowly so she wouldn't disturb or scare Snowflake. "Mom, do you even realize what you've done? You lied to the whole world about what really happened with me and Sparrow! You made him sound evil, moral-less, and disgusting! You twisted the story to my favor and now all of Ever After hates Sparrow!"

Snow didn't seem bothered by how unnerved her daughter was. "Calm down, darling. Technically, I did _not_ fabricate the story. According to what you told me, the young man knew you were…under the influence and willingly had relations with you anyway. If you ask me, he _did_ take advantage of you."

"Yes, he wasn't sober either," argued Apple, " _both_ of us are equally as responsible for what happened, but you never mentioned that _once_. Instead, you put all the blame on Sparrow and made me look like a helpless, innocent saint. Do you even know what's going to happen to Sparrow now?!"

"That doesn't concern you, Apple Cheeks. If anything, Mr. Hood brought this on himself; surely even he knew it's against the rules for a princess and commoner to have such a relationship. He was asking for trouble when he decided to get the best of you."

 _Hypocrite!_ Apple had to bite down on her tongue to stop her from lashing out at Snow. For a second, she almost thought about blurting out how she knew about her two secret older brothers, Atticus and Augustus Goldencrown. She thought about screaming out how Snow had broken the same rule and slept with her first love, Apple's _real_ dad, Adrian. But she didn't. This wasn't the right time to address that situation. Apple had enough drama as it was.

Apple turned her face to the window. She couldn't even stand to look at her mother right now in fear of completely losing her cool. Instead, she stared out at the window, focusing on the silhouettes of the trees against the night sky as they rushed by. Her mind and heart raced with all kinds of thoughts and emotions as she inwardly panicked. This was _not_ good. What Snow did was set in stone. There was no way to take back what she said, meaning there was nothing Apple could say or do that'd clear Sparrow's name. If she tried to testify against her mother's word anyway everyone would just see her as the poor, innocent, and embarrassed rape victim. No one would take her seriously. This wasn't good. _At all._

Sparrow was about to be in a whirlwind of trouble—and Snow couldn't care less. What was Apple supposed to do? Sparrow was innocent but Apple didn't have any proof to back up her claim. Now that she thought about it, Snow didn't have evidence to support her allegation either but when you were the most beloved queen in the land one didn't need such a thing. Everyone just believed you right off the bat because they trusted you. And Snow used that to her advantage. She knew what kind of power she had over everyone and willingly abused it. She fed the people a lie and they had already digested it.

"They could put Sparrow in jail, you know," said Apple icily, breaking the silence.

Snow, who was back on the Mirrorpad—no doubt checking Apple's popularity statistics again—didn't even look up from the screen. "Oh, don't worry about that. He's a minor—his sentence won't be severe."

Yet _another_ jaw-dropping reply from her mother. "Mom! Do you even _hear_ yourself? Don't you feel at least a _little_ guilty that Sparrow is going to suffer because of you?" snapped Apple. She usually wasn't one to raise her voice against anyone, but her boyfriend's integrity was on the line. She couldn't—she _wouldn't_ take this lightly.

" _Me?"_ Snow glanced at her, honestly surprised. "We already went over this. I just made the man's true actions known to clear _your_ name. I didn't make anything up."

"Mom! You said he _intoxicated_ me! That never happened!"

Snow wrinkled her nose. "You know perfectly well you'd never drink alcohol so willingly and loosely. I raised you to be more responsible than that. Someone at that party gave it you while you were vulnerable and unaware. The best and obvious candidate would be that Sparrow Hood fellow, the one who slept with you almost immediately after. It's quite evident he planned the whole thing."

"Mom, that's not true and you _know it_!"

"Honestly, Apple, I don't even see why you're defending him in the first place. You're better off without him. Besides, he put you through so much this past year. If you ask me, he needs to pay the price for his sins."

Apple honestly didn't know what to do with her mother right now. She was failing to see the bigger picture like _always._ The only thing she was worrying about was Apple's image. Nothing else mattered. "But Mom, what about Sparrow's family?" argued Apple, refusing to let her mother have the last word. "They have a reputation too, and this drama with Sparrow could ruin their name."

"That is an issue they have to work out for themselves. Whatever befalls that family is Robin Hood's son's fault. He's the one who's brought shame upon the Hood clan, not us. They can only blame him for this mess."

"But what if they think— _know_ he's innocent? What if they try to resolve this legally?"

"I welcome them to try, but there's nothing to resolve."

"You also led the media to his _house._ Now they're going to torment his family for weeks! And what if someone leaks his address? Everyone will know it and someone could—"

"Speaking of their address, what in the _kingdom_ were you doing at his residence?" asked Snow, her smile dropping and eyes going cold. "That was extremely foolish of you. You don't even know the young man _or_ his family. That was dangerous. And to make things worse, you went there without my consent and without your phone. I couldn't get in touch with you and I was worried sick."

" _Until_ you realized where I was and realized you could use this to boost your ratings even more," countered Apple.

Snow looked taken aback. She wasn't used to hearing Apple raise her voice at her, mainly because it rarely happened. And honestly, Apple was a little surprised too. "I don't like what this is doing to you," said Snow thinly, "ever since you got involved with this Sparrow fellow you haven't been yourself. That's why you're staying away from him from now on."

Apple paled. "What?"

"You heard me. I don't want you around the Hoods ever again. Don't speak to him in public or private. Don't text him, don't call him. Stay away from him."

" _Mom!"_ screamed Apple, the tears always flowing down her face. "That's not fair! He's Snowflake's _dad_!" She didn't mention how he was also her boyfriend. That would REALLY drive Snow crazy.

"He's too young and immature to be a proper father. Besides, she's a princess; she'll be better off without him, just like you will."

"You can't make me," hissed Apple, "I have the right to—"

Snow lifted a hand, indicating silence. "I had a feeling you wouldn't heed my warning, so I took manners into my own hands. I'm getting a restraining order for Sparrow first thing in the morning. And he if dare approach you I will see to it my guards arrest him. So if you truly care for his greater good, disconnect yourself from him completely. Understand?"

Apple couldn't believe this. Angry flared within her. And then sadness overcame her. And she did what she did back at Sparrow's place.

She cried.


	3. Winging It

**A/n: Short chapter. It's my birthday, so I didn't want to spend the whole day writing.**

* * *

Duchess Swan was pissed.

This was _not_ how the story was supposed to go. She turned off her Mirrorpad, tempted to hurl the thing across her dorm room. She'd watched the same video over and over and every time she got the same sour taste in her mouth, the same unpleasant and unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. No, the story wasn't supposed to go like this _at all._ All this weekend, Duchess was _supposed_ to be privately feasting on Apple's turmoil while she ambitiously and secretly formulated a plan to rise

Apple and her family were _supposed_ to be receiving major verbal beatings from every royal family in Ever After right now, but instead they and everyone else in the Fairytale World were showering their social media pages with thoughtful and encouraging comments. And this _outraged_ Duchess. In the original plan, Duchess was supposed to expose Apple's secret and as a result, every royal family was _supposed_ to renounce the White family and basically turn a blind eye to them. From then on, everyone was _supposed_ to reject the Whites and refuse to have anything to do with them. They were _supposed_ to get rejected from the big leagues and be reduced to a tier three—no, tier _four_ royal family. They were _supposed_ to decline from the top all the way down the absolute bottom. They were _supposed_ to be _royal rejects._ No one was to remember them and if they did, it would be as nothing more than _the_ disgraceful clan they were. No one was to ever mention them apart from badmouthing their name. And while the Whites were being outlashed and slowly deteriorating, Duchess was _supposed_ to be ambitiously and subtly making her way to the top in Apple's place. When everyone realized how digesting the White heiress really was, Duchess was _supposed_ to use Apple's new, foul reputation to boost her own. She was _supposed_ to rise from the ashes Apple's popularity had been reduced to like a phoenix, like something _better._ While everyone would be in the process of severely doubting Apple, Duchess would dance in and prove to be something better. It wouldn't take long for everyone to be convinced and their positive attention would shift from Apple to Duchess. But _no. None_ of that happened, and Duchess was on the verge of _thrashing_ her dorm room out of anger. She knew destroying things out of anger was a very un-princesslike thing to do, but Duchess didn't care right now. She was too heated. She'd planned everything to a T, yet _nothing_ was going her way. But most of all, she was upset that Apple had managed to outsmart her once again.

Beforehand, Duchess had power over Apple. She knew Apple's biggest secret and warned her that she'd use it against her. Duchess had purposely held it over the White heiress's head, waiting for the perfect moment to expose her. She decided to wait for the moment Apple would be caught completely off guard so she'd be completely helpless whenever Duchess decided to drop the bomb, so she wouldn't be able to defend herself when the news came out. And what better time to get the best of her than yesterday, when everyone was praising her for helping Raven Queen trap the Evil Queen back in her mirror prison (even though she was the fool who released her in the first place!)? Everyone was so busy showering her with affection, Apple seemed to forget all about her problems. And that was Duchess's chance. So she leaked Apple's secret, expecting her world to change forever after. But guess what? It didn't. Duchess's life was the same as ever meanwhile Apple was straight up being _worshipped._

But what _really_ ruffled Duchess's feathers was the fact Apple had broken one of the most important Royal Rules and managed to _get away with it._ The Royal Rules, a shorter term for the name of the long set of guidelines all royals were bound and expected to follow by tradition and honor, clearly stressed the importance of a limited relationship between royals and commoners, two completely different groups of people. One group was naturally privileged and elite by birth, and the other was not. Their worlds were instinctively different—and it was supposed to stay that way. Thus, to keep the distinct balance between the two, it was expected of royals to marry royals and commoners to marry commoners. Anything other would taint the royal bloodlines and create disorder, so it was not allowed. It was for this reason royals and non-royals were not allowed to even harbor romantic feelings for one other. Any royal who married a non-royal was usually disowned by the rest of the imperial family and was stripped of their regal title all together. Anyone else would say the rule was harsh, but Duchess didn't believe so. Royals were special, blessed, and graced, and it needed to stay that way. If they were to mix with people of lower status, their royal lineage would be soiled. Royal blood only needed to flow through the veins of the royal. If it became contaminated with commoner's blood, there would be no true royal race, meaning there'd be no boundaries and differences between them. They'd be an imbalance in social rank.

Apple had a freaking _baby_ with a guy of a _lower,_ unequal rank opposed to her own, which was a pure violation of the royals' code. That sort of thing was nearly unheard of and a major insult to tradition and all royal ancestries. For her rebellious actions, Apple was supposed to be _shunned_ by people of high status everywhere. But _no._ Instead, they're calling her a heroine and praising her "courage." _Bullshit._

Duchess almost flipped her crown when she watched Snow White on the news network. Thanks to Snow's interference in Duchess's plans, the situation took a turn for the worse for Duchess. She was furious when she realized Apple, her _enemy,_ had managed to outsmart her once again. The only reason Duchess even leaked her secret yesterday because she knew Apple hadn't been expecting it so she couldn't intervene to save herself. But _no._ The blond bitch retaliated faster than Duchess could say "oh my fairy godmother" and manipulated the situation to her advantage. She somehow convinced her mother to go live on mirrors everywhere and clear her name. She somehow convinced her mother to _lie_ for her. That was another proof Apple wasn't the "good girl" everyone thought she was. When she comprehended the fact things were about to go downhill for her, she mustered up some fake tears and came crying to her mother. She fed Snow a falsehood and the queen obviously bought it because in her eyes, she thought her daughter was a replica of her. She thought her daughter was pure and could do or say no evil. Thus, the queen leapt at the chance to clear her daughter's name, ignorant to the fact her kid was a stone-cold liar _and_ a heartless coward. And now, instead of taking the fall, Sparrow was taking all the blame. Poor ol' Sparrow. _Not._ Duchess didn't feel sorry for him at all. This was _exactly_ what he deserved for turning on her and sticking by that chipmunk-voiced harpy. His loyalty was cheap in her eyes and she willingly betrayed him to save her hide. Duchess knew for a fact that story Snow told everyone was BS.

No, this was the _real_ story: Apple was a _slut_ and eagerly slept with Sparrow, most likely only to add him to her scorecard of guys she easily manipulated into her clutches. But her little fling with Sparrow hadn't been like all her others. This time, she got _pregnant._ Duchess had no idea if she planned it or not but either way, Apple had something to blackmail Sparrow with to keep him under her heel. In that sickeningly and mockingly deceptive voice of hers, she threatened to tell everyone he raped and had an unwanted, impure kid with him if he ever stepped out of line. But why? Duchess didn't know, but that got her wondering. Why in the hex would _anyone,_ especially a _princess,_ have a child with that toad Sparrow Hood? There was only one possible answer: Sparrow had some serious- _serious_ dirt on her that would seriously ruin her for good if word ever got out. That must've prompted Apple to take matters into her own hands, in the forms of a kid. If anyone found out against her intentions, she knew all she'd have to do was scream rape and once again become the "innocent little lamb" she was. And that was what happened. And now, Sparrow Hood was in _deep-deep_ trouble. Such a shame. If only he'd stuck with Duchess, then maybe he wouldn't be on the path to facing rap charges and potential prison time. Such a shame indeed. But karma was a bitch, wasn't it? Duchess had to admit, it was somewhat _satisfying_ to know Sparrow was going to pay for his betrayal, but it'd be even _more_ pleasing if it'd been Apple instead. But beggars couldn't be choosers. At least _someone_ was paying for this.

Duchess inhaled slowly, calming herself. _Deep breaths, Duchess. This doesn't mean you're out of the game. Apple's not invincible. You can still take her down._ She took another deep breath, allowing this reality to sink into her brain. Apple might've been the most popular princess in Ever After, but she wasn't invincible. Sure, she had a few tricks up her sleeve, but she wouldn't humiliate Duchess again. She wouldn't get the best of her again. Duchess had too many dreams, all of which revolved around the idea of her being a queen. Thanks to her tragic story, _Snow Lake,_ a happily ever after wasn't written at the end of her story like every other princess's. No, her story ended with either her dying or spending eternity in a swan's body. Duchess wanted neither. She wanted to be a queen. And not just any queen. She wanted to be _the_ queen, the most popular, powerful, and wealthiest of them all. And there was only one story that'd give her the ending she desired. _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves._ She didn't care _what_ she had to do. That story was going to be hers.

Apple's ratings might've just skyrocketed off the charts, but all good things eventually came to an end. Just like they'd ascended, they could descend. And Duchess was going to make sure they did. _Think of it as a test, Duchess_ , she inwardly told herself. _At one point of her life, a queen will face at least one crisis in her reign. And only a true queen will face it head on and see to it that she eliminates it completely. If you're really destined to be that powerful queen, you can do whatever takes to get there._

Yes. Now Duchess was once again at peace. This was all but a test to see if she was really fit to be the woman she wanted to become. If she could take down the daughter of Snow White she could accomplish _anything._ Every road to success was bumpy and this was only one of the many obstacles Duchess would have to face before and after she rose to the throne. Duchess's original plan had failed, and that was okay. She created one plan, so she could create another. No big deal. She had to think like a queen if she wanted to be one.

That's why she logged back on to her mirrorpad and launched the app of one of the most popular social media sites, FableBook. She logged into her account and pulled up Apple's page. Duchess almost swore when she saw how likes Apple had. A few dozen _million. Don't get frustrated, Duchess. It's only a number. And numbers are never permanent._

She tapped a manicured nail against the screen, pulling up Apple's latest picture, which was _posted_ little than over a week ago. It already had a few hundred likes and double the comments, each one an encouraging quote that related to the "pain" Apple "endured." Duchess fought the urge to roll her eyes. Oh, please. Apple didn't know pain, But she would, eventually.

Duchess selected the comment box and her fingers flew across the street as she composed her own sweet little message to Apple:

 _Hi, AppleCheeks.I just heard about what happened to you and let me just say, if you need ANYTHING, I'm here for you. We've been going to school forever after and I know I've always been a little cold toward you, but I feel so bad considering what you've recently gone through. I've been so selfish and heartless, thinking you had everything and was just a spoiled princess. But now that I know of the torture you've suffered from…I feel so…_ terrible. _I hope you can forgive me and if not, I'll always be rooting for you anyway 'til The End. Stay strong, darling! – Your Friend, Duchess Swan_ _ღ_


	4. And Then This Happened

**A/n: Why do I take so long to update? Because I suck. Just like this chapter. But anyways-**

 **HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2017!**

* * *

It was a relief to escape into the girls' dormitory, to close the heavy wooden doors against the prying ears and eyes of the ever-persistent media. Raven released a sigh, thankful to be away from all the chaos. Out of everyone, it was her the cameramen and reporters seemed to harass the most. Raven had dared to sneak into Book End for a quick coffee run—and failed miserably. In crowds, she stuck out like a sore thumb and the press bombarded her. They all asked a million questions, shoving their annoying microphones in her face and flashing cameras in her face a thousand times in a minute, nearly giving her a seizure. It took every ounce of Raven's self-control to not blow them away a magical gust and as a result of her self-restraint she ended up being chased all the way back onto school grounds like a startled squirrel.

At least she was spared of their verbal torture. For now. She kinda regretted not listening to Briar, who's been hiding out in her dorm room all Saturday morning and afternoon. Briar warned her of the journalists' ruthlessness. Of course, Raven didn't listen and look how _that_ turned out. Lesson learned. From now on, if Raven wanted something outside the safety of Ever After High, she'd just have to ask Cerise or someone for a favor.

On Raven's way up to her room, her phone tweeted with a new text. Raven checked it with lightning speed, hoping it was an update from Apple, whom she and Briar hadn't heard from since their IM conversation last night. Unfortunately, it wasn't Apple who texted her, but Briar. Raven tried to ignore her disappointment.

 _Briar: My dorm room ASAP._

Raven's breath caught. This had to be important. Maybe she got in touch with Apple somehow? Raven doubted it. If Apple had the means of communication, she'd reach out to Raven as well. But that didn't stop a part of Raven from hoping.

She changed course, heading upstairs. On her way to Briar's and Ashlynn Ella's room, someone suddenly seized her wrist, forcing her to stop in the middle of the vacant corridor of the castle.

Raven's head whipped around to find her eyes locked with Blondie Lockes's deep blue ones. Raven inwardly groaned. She was NOT ready for this. Not now.

"What do you want, Blondie?" asked Raven thinly, wrenching her arm out of the reporter's grip. Frankly, Blondie was the _last_ person Raven wanted to talk to or even look at. Though she bore no malice toward her, Raven wanted nothing to do with Ever After High's nosiest gossiper. This was the same girl who'd been "BFFAs" with Apple. And this was the same girl who had willingly and _happily_ traded this same girl's secret for fame. Raven had no respect for people like her.

If Blondie detected the irritability in Raven's voice she did a job ignoring it. "Have you talked to Briar recently?" she inquired, fidgeting. "I've texted and called her a million times but she won't answer. And on top of that she unfriended me on Fablebook and unsubbed to my mirrorcast. At first, I thought she did it on accident and sent a friend request back, but she hasn't answered. I think something's wrong."

 _No, you think?_ Raven stared at Blondie in near disbelief. Here was Blondie, nervously playing with a loose blond curl and biting her lip nervously over freaking _social media_ , COMPLETELY ignorant to the hell she'd just unleashed. She was worrying over _one_ subscriber when she'd just received nearly one hundred thousand between today and yesterday evening. She was worrying over _one_ insignificant friend request when she'd just literally and potentially destroyed her best friend's life. She was worrying over her little measly first-world problems when Apple was nearly _drowning_ in a dilemma Blondie had indirectly inflicted. Had Blondie even heard from Apple? Raven guessed not. Was she even concerned by the fact Apple had been "raped" by one of their own classmates? Again, Raven guessed not.

Raven rarely resorted to violence, but she was _this close_ to slapping the everything out of Blondie. But she was better than not. She wouldn't lay a finger on Blondie. But she _would_ give her a piece of her mind.

"You're joking, right?" deadpanned Raven, keeping her anger in check. "Nine times out of ten, Briar did what she did on purpose. I know I would, especially after the crap you just did."

Raven wanted to scream at Blondie's audacity to furrow her brows in confusion/surprise. "What are you talking about? What did I do?" she inquired. She had to be joking. Blondie COULD NOT be ignorant of the drama and pain she'd just started.

 _Are you serious? What_ didn't _you do?_ Raven wanted to yell at her. Blondie _betrayed_ Apple and didn't even realize it. Things would've been different if Blondie turned down Duchess. Sure, the swan princess would've just got in contact with another major gossip channel, but at least it wouldn't have been Blondie who broadcasted Apple's secret. But no. Blondie just HAD to leap at her chance to make it big, even if it meant betraying her own principles. If she had any. Raven didn't know what to think of her anymore.

"You seriously don't know?" Raven narrowed her eyes at the blond. "Blondie. You are aware of what you just did to Apple, right?" Raven didn't give the girl time to respond. "You _leaked_ Apple's secret on the mirrornet for everyone and their grandmother to see. You didn't even ask for her consent first. Do you have ANY idea what Apple's going through right now? You probably don't because you probably don't _care_. _That's_ why Briar doesn't want to be friends with you anymore; you betrayed Apple."

Blondie stared at Raven as if she'd just spoken to her in a different language. "Wh-what are you talking about?" she asked at last, voice trembling.

"You heard me, Blondie. You sold your friendship with Apple and Briar for popularity. And now Briar doesn't want anything to do with you. And though I can't speak for Apple, I'm sure she's more than hurt to know her 'BFFA' would sink so low."

And with that, Raven marched off, leaving those words hanging in the air between the two of them. She traveled further down the hall to Briar's and Ashlynn Ella's room. She rapped at their door with their knuckles, acknowledging the tension in the air. The door flew open and Briar appeared in the doorway, her face vacant of emotion. "Briar? What's wrong?" asked Raven, softening a little bit.

"See for yourself." Briar stepped aside as a signal for Raven to come in.

Raven already saw and immediately understood.

 _Duchess Swan_ was seated on Ashlynn's bed, staring down at her ballet flats with downcast eyes and fiddling with a lock of mauve hair that had managed to escape her black, mauve, and white ponytail. Upon Raven's arrival, the swan princess briefly lifted her head, meeting Raven's eyes only for a second before directing them at the floor again.

Raven fought the urge to scowl. "What's she doing here?" she asked levelheadedly, stepping into the room. As she slowly shut the door she caught a glimpse of Blondie's mane of blond curls further down the hall. Though a group of passing girls obstructed Raven's view of the reporter, she could clearly see Blondie frozen in the same place Raven last left her, her face blanketed with shock. After shutting the door, Raven muttered a quick incantation, charging a whispery blue spell on the tip of her pointer finger. She enchanted the door with it, watching the magic melt into the door's wooden surface after leaking into the walls. An anti-eavesdropping spell. It just soundproofed Briar's and Ashlynn's whole room just in case Blondie got desperate enough to try to listen in on their conversation. Now, thanks to Raven's magic, anyone and everyone outside of these walls were incapable of hearing what was transpiring within them. She didn't bother locking the door; that'd be pointless. Seem Raven wasn't the only one with a special ability passed down to her from her mother; as the child of the famous-for-intruding Goldilocks, Blondie had a unique magic that allowed her to get past any— _any_ lock. That being said, Blondie could technically just barge into Briar's room any time she wanted, regardless of what measures were taken to keep her out. But Raven had a feeling she wasn't _that_ bold yet, especially when the emotional wound from hers and Briar's recently terminated friendship was still fresh.

"…I don't believe her story for a millisecond," Briar was concluding in disgust as Raven directed her attention back to the issue on hand. Raven had been so focused on keeping Blondie's prying ears out of the conversation she hadn't even heard Briar talking.

Raven was about to repeat her early question, but Duchess's sudden outcry gave her all the answers she needed. "I'm telling the truth!" she cried out, her head snapping up in desperate protest. Her cracking voice was thick and laced with emotion with somewhat glassy and moist-looking eyes to match. She was literally on the verge of tears. But why—? Suddenly, it all made sense.

Oh my fairy godmother.

"This is a trick," said Raven automatically, keeping her voice devoid of emotion. "There's no way in the kingdom you're genuinely remorseful, _especially_ after what you just did."

"Exactly." Briar nodded furiously. "We all know she could care less about Apple. That was why she ratted her out to Blondie in the first place."

"I'll admit, I was being selfish," said Duchess, her voice wavering like she was struggling to hold back a sob. "But if I would've known...I wouldn't have…I just…" She resisting the urge to cry to such a great extent she couldn't even speak in complete sentences. "I feel so horrible."

Wait. This wasn't right, Duchess's whole act or whatever. So she was claiming she wouldn't have exposed Apple's secret to Blondie if she would've known Apple's "true secret" regarding Sparrow? That didn't add up. There was no way Duchess could think Sparrow abused Apple in _that aspect_ considering Duchess was one of the few people who actually knew the two had been dating beforehand, that they were genuinely in love. No victim and her aggressor would have that kind of relationship, so instead of sitting around moping in shame, Duchess should've been calling out Snow White's BS. But then again, _no one_ was using their heads and recounting the facts when it came to this whole situation. No one seemed to remember that not even twenty-four hours before Snow's public rape accusation, the mirrornet had been plagued with the news of Sparrow's and Apple's true love's kiss. No one seemed to remember that Sparrow had been proclaimed Apple's true love before her rapist.

"Oh, cut it out," spat Briar, "we're not fools, Swan. I don't know what your game is, but you're clearly trying to screw with our minds or something."

"I'm not, honest," said Duchess, almost pleadingly. "All this time I thought Apple's life was completely perfect—and I hated her for it. I thought she got everything she wanted and had no idea what it meant to suffer. But then her mother went on the news…I never imagined something so horrible could happen to someone like Apple."

"So you had the wrong idea about Apple. We get it," said Ashlynn, nearly startling Raven. She'd nearly forgotten Cinderella's daughter was in the room. She too was a good friend of Apple's, having safeguarded her scandalous secret before… _this._ Ashlynn frowned at Duchess. "Why are you telling us for? We're not the ones you should be apologizing to."

Though, to be honest, Duchess pretty much owed them ALL an apology. She didn't have a good history with Raven, Briar, or Ashlynn. Though Duchess had always been somewhat rude to Raven, her hatred intensified when Raven had the courage and bravery to turn a blind eye to her predetermined destiny and start anew. She said a few things about Raven, spread a few rumors, insulted her to her face a few times, but nothing really got under Raven's skin as Duchess had hoped. That just made Duchess even bitterer towards her.

Then there were times when Duchess tried to steal both Ashlynn's and Briar's stories. She used Ashlynn's and Hunter Huntsman's secret relationship as leverage so she could disgrace Ashlynn and steal her story, and then she tried to rat on Briar, who had thrown a secret party last yeah, so she could also have her story. Basically, anyone with a "good royal destiny" was in Duchess's hate book, making her infamous among EAH's league of princesses. Well, among those who could remember her name.

Duchess sniffled, dabbing her eyes with a tissue she'd "conveniently" brought along. "I know, but I can't get in contact with Apple. I've been messaging her on her social media and calling her nonstop."

"How do you have Apple's number?" Raven blinked, surprised.

Briar didn't seem concerned with that part. "Thanks to _someone_ , she's been MIA all weekend," she said, her voice wintery. "But even if she wasn't, she still wouldn't answer your call. She knows you're nothing but bad news."

"Besides, have you _seen_ Apple's profiles? People have been spamming them all day," pointed out Ashlynn, "whatever you post immediately gets lost in a sea of comments a few seconds later. There's no way she saw what you wrote."

Duchess sighed. "I guess you're right." She rose to her feet. "Well, I guess I should be going now. It's clear you guys don't want me here—"

"Gee, I wonder why," said Briar sarcastically.

Duchess just gave her a tired glance. "Look, I know I've been mean to you girls for the longest now, but I just wanted to—"

"Just get out of here, Duchess," snapped Briar, growling. "We're tired of hearing your lies. We all know you're not apologetic in the slightest. In fact, not twenty-four hours ago, you were just harassing me on social media about Apple being 'finished.' And you're trying to convince me that you've had a change of heart? Give me a break."

"A lot's happened since then, Briar," said Duchess quietly.

"Yeah, I bet it has. Now just get out of my dorm room." Briar didn't say it as forcefully this time. Not because she was warming up to Duchess, but because she was tired. Tired of the drama, tired of the lies, tired of the conflict. It was written all over her face.

Thankfully, Duchess left with throwing an insult. Briar collapsed onto her bed the second the door closed. "None of you guys believed her, right?" she asked, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you serious? Of course not." Raven shook her head and Ashlynn hummed her agreement.

"Good." However, Briar didn't sound relived. "Has anyone heard from Apple?" The other girls' silence was answer enough.

"Do you think she's okay?" asked Ashlynn quietly.

Raven nodded. "I think so. But if I know Apple, she's probably worrying herself sick. She probably blames herself for this mess."

* * *

For once in her life, Apple wanted _did not_ want to go the Whites' formal family dinner. For crying out loud, she forgot the thing was even happening until her mother sent her reminder via text earlier that day. With all that was going on in Apple's life, the family gathering was the last thing on her mind. But nonetheless, as a princess, she was required to attend.

Apple stared at her reflection in her full-length mirror. She wore a long, elegant red gown with white lace-up heels and jewelry to match. Her hair was done in al elaborate do, but Apple did not feel pretty.

She was back at her home palace, back in her own bedroom where she was temporarily safe from the new drama that had just recently wrecked her life. She'd spent all morning and afternoon in the safety of her bedroom, but she'd been anything but comforted. She couldn't sleep and could just barely eat, all because she was worried sick about Sparrow.

All she could do was lie around in bed, something she would usually considering un-princesslike, but her most of her strength had been deprived of her. She'd used most of it crying and fruitlessly devising a plan to save her beloved Sparrow, who she had yet to hear from.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the second Fairest of Them All?" Apple caught herself chanting. She bit down into her lip in repentance.

"You are, Apple White," her golden mirror gushed in a dreamy, feminine voice.

Apple didn't care. For once in her life, she truly did not care. Who cared about fancy dresses and elegant formals when she had more important things to think about? Apple immediately scolded herself for thinking like that. She would be a queen one day. She had to care about those things. They mattered.

But for the moment, this issue with Sparrow mattered more. She was scared stiff. What would happen when she returned to school on Sunday, tomorrow? She knew there was a huge possibility Sparrow wouldn't be there, which made Apple sick to stomach. His life was being ruined slowly but steadily. Soon, he would have nothing and it would be all Apple's fault.

Apple checked her phone for 178th time that day. She opened her messages. Plenty from her friends, but none from Sparrow. She checked her call log next. No new calls from him either. Though it was obvious, something was very wrong. You'd think after all that went down yesterday, Sparrow would AT LEAST call to make sure Snowflake was okay. But Apple knew that was impossible. They were both forbidden from further talking and seeing one another. Both of their families expected them to cut ties with one another completely. But that wasn't fair. Didn't they have the right to at least speak with each other considering they were both parents to the same little girl?

Though Snow was convinced Snowflake would be better off without him, Apple didn't believe that. _Every_ child deserved to know their parents. Unless they were bad people, which Sparrow WASN'T.

Apple pleaded her case to her mother several times during the coach ride here yesterday night, but she still refused to listen to reason. Though the queen didn't plainly state them, Apple knew a few of her reasons for not permitting relations with the Hoods: for one, the Hoods obviously weren't royal and Snow thought they were far out of the Whites' league. Secondly, everyone thought Sparrow was Apple's rapist, so it'd look really weird if their families were involved with each other in any manner that _wasn't_ hostile.

 _Family._ Apple was going to have to face her own in a short while. She was dreading every second. Usually, she'd be ecstatic to see the rest of the White clan again. She loved to receive their approval and compliments pertaining to her destiny and how well she'd taken up after her mother. But something told her this family reunion wasn't going to be all hugs and kisses.

Now, like the rest of Ever After, all of the Whites were going to look at Apple differently. With pitiful, cheesy sympathy. They'd no longer see her as Apple White, Snow White's Perfect Daughter. No, from now on she'd just be Apple White the Poor Victim. It would define her. Every time someone looked at her, they'd no longer see Apple for her own person. They'd see Apple for the small, helpless, innocent victim. She'd have to face her family's judgment. And as the most prestigious family in all of Ever After, their opinions tended to be harsh and perpetual.

But what really bugged Apple was the fact this would be the Whites' first official time meeting Snowflake. At first, Apple had been positive Snow would just keep Snowflake out of sight, so imagine her surprise when she found out Snow had Snowflake fitted for a dress earlier. Apple asked her mother about this and much to her horror, Snow explained that Snowflake was going to be present at the dinner tonight.

The other Whites didn't even know Snowflake EXISTED until just yesterday! What were they going to think of her, of Apple? Snow told Apple not to worry, that everyone would accept Snowflake. Apple knew they would publicly, simply because Snow, who was basically the head of the family, told them too. But regardless of what Snow said, they'd have their own judgments.

The Whites were the most elite family in the fairytale world. And given their status, they believed in upholding tradition to its greatest. Their view of tradition and honor influenced everything about them, thoughts and all. So, in their eyes, Snowflake would probably be a disgrace. She was only a half-princess, her father being a commoner. That would not sit well among the Whites. _At all._ They'd—

Apple startled when she heard a noise. She whirled around, her eyes flying over to the French doors leading out onto her balcony. Someone outside was knocking on them. Apple's jaw slaked but her feet reacted before the rest of her could. She ran over, unlocking the doors and letting him in, along with the evening breeze.

Sparrow Hood flashed her his signature bad-boy grin. "Hey, White. How's it goin?'"


End file.
